


Give Me a Home

by cazmalfoy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mention of Rhodey - Freeform, Slight squiggly timeline, Tony Stark is a sap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 11:26:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17263397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cazmalfoy/pseuds/cazmalfoy
Summary: Home. That word had meant various things to Tony over the years. As a kid, he had thought that home was a physical building and he would never find his place in the world, outside those four walls.But then he had grown older and learnt the true meaning of the word.Home wasn’t a building, or a number of different buildings around the world. It was the people.





	Give Me a Home

**Author's Note:**

> There isn't really a fixed timeline for this story; really I wrote it because I'm feeling kinda blah today and wanted to make myself feel better.
> 
> This set (roughly) some time between Civil War and Homecoming, although I have played a little fast and loose with the exact dates.
> 
> Please excuse any obvious mistakes; it's almost 11.30pm, and I wanted to post this before I go to bed.

The sound of Tony’s boots echoed around the otherwise silent halls as he walked. The lack of sound around him serving as yet another reminder of how alone he was now.

Happy and Pepper were off somewhere in Europe that Tony couldn’t quite remember, having the time of their lives hopefully. He didn’t begrudge them finding happiness in each other; especially not when Tony himself hadn’t been able to give Pepper what he wanted.

Rhodey had been deployed on a mission a little over a week ago, and other than checking in with command to let everyone know that he was safe, no one had heard from him since. Rhodey’s lack of communication Tony was used to; the other man had been in the military for as long as Tony had known him (or at least training for the military). He would only be worried about his best friend, when JARVIS alerted him that the War Machine signal had dropped off the radar.

And there was no way in hell he was going to tell Rhodey about the tracker that had been installed into the suit from day one; even though he had a suspicion that Rhodey already knew and didn’t say anything because he thought Tony’s concern was cute.

Steve and the rest of what had been the original Avengers had long since disappeared off the face of the earth. At least, that’s what they thought. Tony had been told immediately by T’Challa that the rogues were in his country - he wasn’t sure if the information had been some form of white flag from the monarch, or part of some plan to get on Tony’s good side and then pull the rug out from him again.

Whatever T’Challa’s plan was, Tony didn’t care because there was no way _it_ was going to work - regardless of what _it_ was. Tony had long since given up trusting people. Nope, there were only six people he trusted completely now.

Pepper, Happy, Rhodey, Harley, Peter and…

Tony’s thoughts trailed off when he heard footsteps behind him. Footsteps that shouldn’t be there in an otherwise empty tower. But he wasn’t scared; not even a little apprehensive as those footsteps grew closer to Tony’s still turned back.

“You’re ‘sposed to be on the jet,” a familiar voice drawled from behind him. Tony couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face as two arms - one customised metal and the other warm, living flesh - slid around his waist, pulling him back against a warm, solid chest.

Tony hummed distractedly, and the other man didn’t speak - knowing him well enough by now to let him come out of his thoughts on his own.

That had been another little revelation over the last year or so. Not that T’Challa had also been harbouring a former Hydra assassin; hell, Tony had been the one to suggest the Black Panther help them out there, since Wakanda were the only ones with the technology.

No, the true surprise was how much Tony and one newly thawed out James Barnes had in common.

When James had arrived at what had been Avenger’s Tower for the final round of his treatment using Tony’s BARF technology, they had both been more than a little apprehensive and standoffish to each other.

It had taken a week of tiptoeing around each other for Tony to finally get sick of it and pull the band-aid off – so to speak.

Things between them had been hunky dory, ever since. Give or take a few minor (okay, maybe a little bit more) blow outs.

A squeeze of the arms around his waist brought Tony back to the present. “What you thinking about, doll?” James asked, pressing his lips against the side of Tony’s neck when he was sure he had the other’s attention again.

Not bothering to hide the smile that was threatening to spread across his face, Tony turned around and looped his arms around James’s neck. “Just wondering what this place is going to be when we’re finally cleared out,” he half-lied. James always got sad when he thought about where they had come from, so Tony didn’t like to discuss it very often with him. Plus, he did think about what the new owners were going to do with the place; hell, he didn’t even know who had bought the place, since he had barely been involved in the actual transaction.

That had been all Pepper; hence the reason, she was now enjoying a well deserved break.

James pursed his lips a little and Tony couldn’t resist the urge to place a soft kiss on that pout, which made the other man smile just a little wider.

“Come on,” James urged, finally releasing Tony’s waist and reaching up for his hand, which was currently working it’s way into James’s hair. “Let’s get out of here, so the cleaning crew can finish up. You’ve already done your final checks, haven’t you?”

Tony let out a small sigh at the reminder of what he had been in the tower for in the first place. To make sure nothing had been missed by the movers; it hadn’t. “Yeah,” he finally reluctantly admitted. “I just… I know I haven’t had this place for long, but it feels like home, you know?”

A sad look appeared on James’s face and he reached out, cupping Tony’s cheek with his flesh hand. “I know,” he whispered, running his thumb over Tony’s cheekbone. “But we have another home waiting for us Upstate and that’s gonna be even better than here.” When Tony threw him an incredulous look, James raised an eyebrow, “Hey, they were your words, not mine. I’m just passing on the message.”

Tony rolled his eyes and let out a snort of laughter, even though he was more amused than he was allowing himself to show. It never ceased to amaze him how much James amused the hell out of him, even if Tony was in what Steve had called ‘one of his moods’.

“I suppose _I_ am right,” Tony mused, making James laugh along with him. “You know,” he continued, changing the subject completely, running his fingers teasingly down James’s arm, “why don’t we say goodbye to this place properly?” he suggested, his brown eyes glittering mischievously as he met James’s gaze.

James’s eyes narrowed at Tony’s suggestion, although there was no malice behind the gaze. If anything, the other man looked like he was seconds away from tearing the mechanic’s clothing off one handed. He swallowed thickly around the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. “As much as I would love to take you up on that offer,” he said, his voice sounding much thicker than it had before, “the cleaners are due in about a half an hour.”

Tony opened his mouth, but James cut him off with a shake of his head. “If you even insinuate that thirty minutes is enough for me to take you to pieces, I will actually kill you.”

Tony laughed at the empty threat, but didn’t push it; he knew James preferred to take his time worshiping every inch of Tony’s body, and even though neither of them would ever say no to a quick fumble, it just wasn’t the same.

“Fine,” Tony huffed, mock-indignantly. “Just remember that you turned down a perfectly good blow job when we’re surrounded by two teenagers and a bunch of mini-avengers.”

It was all a front – the pretending like Tony didn’t adore being surrounded by people who actually listened to him and cared about his opinion (and, in Peter’s case, practically worshiped the ground he walked on), but James let him get away with the pretense.

“I’m sure we’ll find a way to get some time to ourselves,” James replied, his smooth voice flowing over Tony like honey and making him smile to himself at how ridiculous he sounded (even in his head).

Without giving Tony to come with another argument for them staying and giving the cleaners something they’d have to sign a NDA for, James reached down and grabbed hold of Tony’s hand, lacing their fingers in a metal and flesh jigsaw that fit together perfectly.

“Come on, doll,” James reiterated his earlier words, tugging on Tony’s hand to urge him in the direction of the elevator. “Let’s go home.”

Home. That word had meant various things to Tony over the years. As a kid, he had thought that home was a physical building and he would never find his place in the world, outside those four walls.

But then he had grown older and learnt the true meaning of the word. Meeting and falling in love with James had only reiterated what he had hypothesized.

Home wasn’t a building, or a number of different buildings around the world. It was the people. Wherever he was, Tony knew he would be okay as long as he had his family around him and James at his side to guide him through the darker of moments.

At the doors to the elevator, Tony paused and pulled James into his arms before the other man could question him too much.

“I love you, James Barnes,” Tony stated, his voice firm and sure as he planted a kiss on James’s lips without waiting for a response.

James laughed a little as he pulled back from the sudden display of affection from Tony. “I love you too, you sap,” he chuckled, although the seriousness in his eyes gave away the depth of his feelings for Tony.

“Now, can we _please_ go home?”

Tony grinned and nodded his head, jabbing his finger against the elevator call button. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Let’s go home.”

 

 


End file.
